“Studying philosophy at Union has enabled me to analyze my beliefs and judgments, encouraged me to justify my assumptions and intuitions, taught me to value multiple perspectives, and above all, spurred me to understand the world and my purpose in it . . . In short, it has made me a better person.” - Raashika Goyal

Philosophy

Philosophy

Philosophy is the study of the most fundamental questions one could ask: What is good and what is evil? What is reality and what is illusion? Are our choices really free? What is the meaning of life?

The study of philosophy develops skills in critical and abstract thinking, writing, argumentation and evaluation of different points of view. Your studies of this discipline will feature a variety of challenging courses covering material from ancient to contemporary philosophy. Our curriculum reflects the College’s emphasis on interdisciplinary study, with courses that integrate art, business, classics, film, literature, mathematics, religion, science, technology, and women’s and gender studies.

Special learning opportunities

The department's Speaker Series hosts one of the most prominent speaker series in the country; we regularly have noted and influential philosophers visiting us throughout the academic year. Philosophy majors are in a particularly good position to take advantage of these visits.

"Studying philosophy at Union has enabled me to analyze my beliefs and judgments, encouraged me to justify my assumptions and intuitions, taught me to value multiple perspectives, and above all, spurred me to understand the world and my purpose in it . . . In short, it has made me a better person." - Raashika Goyal

In addition, the department of philosophy publishes Ephemeris, which is considered the premier undergraduate journal of philosophy in the country.

Union has an active, accomplished Ethics Bowl Team, which regularly takes part in competitions focused on moral issues, including the National Intercollegiate Ethics Bowl Program and the Bioethics Bowl. Many team members are philosophy majors, and the team has traditionally had close ties with the philosophy department.

Careers

Philosophy majors are well prepared to pursue advanced studies in philosophy as well as a wide range of careers, including business, education, government, journalism, law, public policy, social service and more. All of this is of course intrinsically valuable, but it is also worth mentioning that philosophy majors tend to have the highest scores among all majors nationally in standardized tests such as the GRE and the LSAT.

Careers by field:

Careers by field:

Academics:

CONTACT:

A SAMPLING OF COURSES:

A SAMPLING OF COURSES:

Theories of the Good LifePHL 180

This course takes a cross-cultural approach to theories of the good life by studying ancient Greek, Chinese, African and Hindu theories, as well as more modern versions of these theories. In class, we shall analyze and debate these theories in terms of their underlying beliefs about human nature and in terms of whether someone can actually live by these theories.

Reason, Science and HumanityPHL 233

An examination of some of philosophy’s “Greatest Hits,” from some of the 17th and 18th centuries’ greatest thinkers: Descartes, Leibniz, Locke, Berkeley, Hume, and Kant. We will consider questions like: Is there a God, and how could we know? Is your mind just your brain, or do you have an immaterial soul? What is free will, and are we just fooling ourselves when we think we have it? Does your subjective perception of the world correspond to how it is in reality, and how can you possibly know? Are there universal moral duties, which everyone has an obligation to follow regardless of their personal inclinations?

On War and KillingPHL 255

The central goal of this course is to develop and apply some useful tools for critical reflection upon the morality of war. In considering this issue we will ask what, if anything, makes it right to go to war?, and what kinds of actions are, and are not, justified in carrying out a war?